Father Michael Freeman
Diocese of Buffalo
Ordained: 1972
Removed: 1989
Died: 2010
Assigned as follows:
- 1973-1975 St. Margaret (Buffalo, NY)
- 1976 St. Lawrence (Buffalo, NY)
- 1977-1980 Sacred Heart (Niagara Falls, NY)
- 1981-1982 On duty outside the Diocese (Fort Benning, GA)
- 1983-1984 St. Christopher (Tonawanda, NY)
- 1985-1987 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lancaster, NY)
- 1988-1989 St. Mary of the Assumption (Lancaster, NY)
- 1990-2010 Unknown
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Michael Freeman:
According to media reports, the Diocese of Buffalo first became aware of Father Michael Freeman’s criminal activity in November 1981, when he admitted inappropriate sexual behavior with young men on multiple occasions at St. Margaret and St. Lawrence Parishes in New York. No action was taken and he was permitted to serve in active ministry until March 1989, when his faculties were revoked.
Despite the fact that Father Freeman admitted to sexually violating children in at least five of his six ministry assignments, the Dioceses of Buffalo or Erie never notified law enforcement officials. He was sent for treatment on two separate occasions at Southdown Institute, a psychiatric facility for clergy and religious personnel in Canada. He continued to receive financial aid until July 31, 1999, when his new employer would cover his salary and health insurance. He died in 2010.
In March 2018, Father Michael Freeman was included in the Diocese of Buffalo’s list of priests who “were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.” No information regarding the allegations was disclosed, however, the list includes deceased priests only if they have more than one allegation. In August 2018, he was named in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report.
In March 2019, a man filed a lawsuit alleging that in 1980, Father Freeman “carefully groomed” him while the boy was preparing for confirmation. The suit said, one evening at Sacred Heart, the priest warned the boy about a supposed medical “condition” that could cause sterility and was common among athletes. The priest told him he was trained as an Air Force chaplain to detect the condition. After ordering him to pull down his pants, Father Freeman “massaged and manipulated” his penis.
“I jumped up. I’m scared and I’m crying,” the man said. “I go to open the door and it was locked with a key, from the inside.”
The man said Father Freeman, tried to get him to calm down and then unlocked the rectory door and let him leave. He went home and told his mother what had happened, and she blamed him for the incident.
“She got upset with me,” Barr said. “She asked me why I was so naive and told me not to tell anybody.”
Another alleged victim of Father Freeman’s, said in June 2019, that as a teen in the early 1980s he told Monsignor (now Bishop) Trautman of sexual abuse by the priest, and Monsignor Trautman told him, “You should never have put yourself in that position.” Father Freeman was kept in ministry.
According to media reports, in June 2019, a man who accused Father Freeman of sexually abusing him as a child, rejected the largest settlement award to date, $650,000, from the Diocese of Bufffalo’s compensation program so he could file a lawsuit. He called the offer “insignificant” compared to the abuse he endured. He said he wanted a full accounting of how and why the Diocese of Buffalo allowed Father Freeman to continue in ministry for so long.
“I don’t want the church to determine here’s some money, go away. I’d like the trial to happen to see how much of the story we can get out. To get the church to come to the table and admit the wrongdoings,” the victim said.
In August 2019, he filed under the NY Child Victims Act alleging that Father Freeman abused him after the priest was removed from St. Christopher and sent to St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Lancaster. The alleged abuse occurred from 1984 to 1989, when the man was 14 to 19 years old. He said on one occasion Father Freeman “brandished a .38 caliber pistol” and held it to his head. On another occasion, the victim was abused by and with a male prostitute solicited by the priest.
In 2020, Father Michael Freeman was named in another lawsuit against the Diocese of Buffalo. He was accused of sexually abusing a minor. The details of the sexual abuse allegations, including when and where the alleged abuse occurred, or the victim’s age/gender, are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo and throughout New York. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Buffalo may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Buffalo if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.